あなたは恋人です
You Are My Love
Five: Hiashi and Suzu
Genre: Romance (?)
Word count: 1,502
Warning(s): OOC, Made-up Japanese festival
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters, and I own Suzu only in name.
Hiashi sat quietly. Across the table from him was the girl that his father had chosen for him to marry. To say the moment was awkward would have been an understatement.
The girl sneezed delicately. Hiashi flexed his fingers in his lap. They were completely silent, save for the purple-haired girl's tiny sniffles.
Growing tired of her wheezing, he looked up sharply. "What is wrong with you?"
"Allergies, Hiashi-sama," she answered, ducking her head. "Forgive me. I'll try to be quieter."
He resisted the urge to rub at the forming migraine on his brow. Why was everyone so afraid of him? His twin brother had little trouble making friends, so what was he doing that repelled everyone from him?!
After another few moments of silence, upon hearing her swallow nervously, he stood abruptly.
"Come on," he ordered, a bit more harshly than he had intended.
"Hiashi-sama?" she questioned, staring up at him, wide-eyed.
He pulled the dainty girl to her feet, ignoring her protests. "We are going to correct this," he told her, towing her from the room. "It is obvious that neither of us wants to marry the other."
"B-but, Hiashi-sama..."
"And nothing has been finalized yet," he went on heedless of her objection. "There should be no reason that this union must continue."
At last they came to the doors, which hid the Hyuuga Elders' meeting room. Hiashi, at this point disregarding what was proper and what was not, threw open the door and peered inside, only to find the room empty.
"They went into the village center for the festival," his unofficial fiancée said to him. "They felt it would be inappropriate not to make an appearance, Hiashi-sama."
He was tempted to throw a fit, but reminded himself that at fifteen, one was not supposed to act in such a manner. "Fine. Then we will go there and find them," he said stubbornly, moving quickly to exit the compound.
"Hiashi-sama," she fretted, pulling her skirts above her feet so that she could follow after him with less danger of tripping. "I don't think we should... We were told to stay..."
"Something tells me that you always do as you're told... What was your name, again?"
"Oh, it's Suzu."
"Suzu. Hush now and follow me." He marched on stubbornly, listening to the pattering of Suzu's tiny feet behind him, and the occasional wheeze from the girl. At least she was following his orders without complaint.
The village center was decorated with colorful streamers and paper lanterns. For the life of him, Hiashi couldn't figure out what was being celebrated, and he had a sneaking suspicion that the rest of the villagers didn't know, either; they'd find any reason to drink. He scoffed inwardly.
They passed a stall, where a man was promoting a ridiculous game involving knocking down empty bottles. He had cheaply-made stuffed animals set off to one side for the winners, most of them pastel-colored. Suzu paused at the stand to eye a pale pink rabbit, and the vendor was quick to notice her.
"See something you like, Hime-chan?" he asked her, startling her back a few steps. "Just 250 ryou to play."
Hiashi grabbed her hand. "We don't have time for this nonsense," he muttered, pulling her along.
"What? Afraid you'll look like a wimp in front of your girlfriend?" goaded the vendor after them.
"I will not be swayed by your childish tactics," Hiashi brushed the comment off.
The vendor continued to call after them until they were out of sight, but Hiashi held firm and pulled Suzu along at a steady pace.
"If I may, Hiashi-sama," Suzu murmured in a small voice, "I think it's really great that you didn't let that man drag you down to his level."
"Indeed. He actually thought you were my girlfriend? The very notion is ridiculous."
"... Oh." She brushed invisible lint from her sleeve, peering at the non-existent offender with more interest than it deserved.
Hiashi didn't seem to notice her discomfort as he continued on diligently.
Behind them, the Hyuuga elders passed the main road, speaking quietly to the third Hokage and his advisors, unnoticed by the young Hyuuga heir.
Hiashi and Suzu wandered along the colorful streets, unbeknownst to them, only barely missing the elders on several occasions. As the sky darkened, the festival grew more crowded, and Suzu blushed as Hiashi tugged her closer to keep her from getting lost. He only paused when he heard a very masculine growl, and turned to look at the beet-red girl behind him.
"S-sorry, Hiashi-sama," she mumbled. "My stomach."
He looked around until he spotted a nearby food stall, and he led her toward it, getting an order of dango for each of them. They found an empty bench and ate in silence, watching couples dance in the square to jovial folk music. Suzu watched dreamily, admiring the way the men led the women in various dances, some that she knew, others that she didn't. Her pale eyes wandered toward the Hyuuga heir, and she blushed as she wished she were brave enough to ask him to dance with her. Of course, that would be improper.
Hiashi furrowed his brow when he noticed the girl beside him glancing at him furtively. She was a very strange girl. He had no idea why the elders had chosen someone so sickly, either. The whole purpose of arranging these marriages was to find strong brides with which clan leaders could have strong heirs.
But, as he watched her stare wistfully at the dancers, he found himself feeling a little guilty. He hadn't been very nice to her all day, so consumed in his mission to end his engagement, and she hadn't gotten the chance to do anything fun, even though they had spent the whole day at a festival. Feeling a little nervous, and berating himself for it, Hiashi stood abruptly and held his hand out to Suzu.
The girl stared in shock for a moment, but it quickly turned to joy, and she took his hand and allowed him to pull her into the square as a new song started. Suzu was shy, and couldn't look at him as her feet easily found the rhythm of the music, only to stop when Hiashi stepped on her toes.
"Sorry," he muttered. He took another clumsy step, staring at his feet in deep concentration.
She watched him, fascinated. "Hiashi-sama," she whispered, "Do you not know how to dance?" He didn't answer, but his frown said all that needed saying, and Suzu giggled.
"It's not funny."
"I'm sorry," she smiled at him. "Here, let me show you." She hopped skillfully to one side and then kicked her foot up, turning and doing it the other way afterward. She soon learned why he was called a prodigy as he repeated each of her steps and was able to put them together into the dance before the song had even finished.
They spun together to the beat, only stopping when the music did. Even when the next song started up, they remained still, panting as they studied each other's faces. For the first time, Hiashi noticed how pretty the girl was, her face flushed form the exertion of their dance and her hair no longer laid perfectly down her back. Subconsciously, Hiashi brushed a violet strand out of her face.
"Please," Suzu said, her voice tiny, but Hiashi heard it anyway. "Do not call off the engagement, Hiashi-sama. I've worked so hard for the opportunity to stand beside you." Suzu averted her eyes, her breathing becoming erratic, as Hiashi frowned.
"Suzu, look at me," he commanded, and with the slightest prompting of his hand under her chin, she obeyed. He tried to find words for the situation, but when he saw her frightened eyes and blushing face, he couldn't think of anything to say.
"Didn't I say they'd get along perfectly?"
"I believe you might have. What I don't recall is giving either of them permission to leave the compound."
Hiashi and Suzu separated immediately as the elders chose the worst possible time to finally appear. Or perhaps it was the best time. Looking at Suzu, Hiashi wasn't completely sure.
Clearing his throat, Hiashi squared his shoulders and looked sternly at the elders. "Suzu-san and I were just…" he glanced at the girl, who was doing her best not look disappointed. "Enjoying the festival," he finished with an internal sigh. "It was too nice of a day to be shut away inside, and if the goal was for us to get to know one another, we managed just fine out here."
"I can't argue with that," one of the elders conceded, and once one had accepted what Hiashi had to say, the others followed suit. "But perhaps you can ask for permission before the two of you go on another impromptu outing," the elder suggested.
"Certainly," Hiashi bowed his head. Giving Suzu a private smirk, he added, "Until we're married, anyway."
A/N: Yes, I know. I deserve to have rotten fruit thrown at my head for making everybody wait for another chapter and then having it be so unsatisfactory.
Why is Suzu just like Hinata? Because I'm unoriginal. Thanks for reading!